Babylon 5 reboot in development
Series creator is developing a new version of 1990s sci-fi which starred Bruce Boxleitner.
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1990s sci-fi Babylon 5 is in development for a brand new version.
The CW is developing a “from-the-ground-up reboot” of the series, from original series creator J. Michael Straczynski and Warner Bros. Television.
The original series ran from 1994 and ran for 5 seasons -the first to introduce viewers to the concept of a five-year arc, with a defined beginning, middle and end.
The cast featured Bruce Boxleitner, Michael O’Hare, Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Andrea Thompson and ex-Lost in Space star, Bill Mumy.
Deadline reports the reboot revolves around John Sheridan, an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background, who is assigned to Babylon 5, a five-mile-long space station in neutral space, a port of call for travellers, smugglers, corporate explorers and alien diplomats at a time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war.
His arrival triggers a destiny beyond anything he could have imagined, as an exploratory Earth company accidentally triggers a conflict with a civilisation a million years ahead of us, putting Sheridan and the rest of the B5 crew in the line of fire as the last, best hope for the survival of the human race.
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The only worthwhile reboot has been Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica. That was an original and creative reimagining of formulaic show about humans battling evil alien robots as drama about technology, AI, rules of engagement and human rights while fighting a battle for survival. Though they didn’t nail the ending. The rest are just makework projects trying to sell dreadfully inferior versions of shows just because they have brand recognition. Peacock is paying Sam Esmail a fortune to reboot the reboot of Battlestar Galactica because they are desperate for an SF franchise with brand recognition. No thanks, the originals exist forever and are cheaper and better.
Worth noting that the spin off series ‘Crusade’ only lasted half a season before cancellation-B5 itself was constantly on the verge of cancellation, which is why the 4th season hurriedly wrapped up the storyline, leaving the series with relatively little to do in the unexpected 5th season when it came. B5 had quite a few ‘Star Trek’ players as recurring characters including Walter Koenig and Majel Barrett. I’m not sure this is a good idea as unlike say ‘Battlestar Galactica’, there’s not much to improve upon with a new series other than the SFX and you could simply do that for the original as was done for the original ‘Star Trek’ and even ‘Red Dwarf’!
Loved the original series. Any streaming service currently have it available here in AU?
Only for purchase, not streaming.
Oooohh ! – I loved the original Series – This was JS’s masterpiece with smart story lines for a more discerning SF audience than others who enjoyed the old plot of, meet alien – solve problem – all go in peace. an interesting point – The Special effects Graphics at the time on the original were all done on an Amiga – My computer of the period – If a quality retelling were to occur – I’m down for it!
I wonder if this was an influence in the background while the rumours of JM Straczynski putting his hand up to be the Doctor Who showrunner was swirling around. After all, you would have to think that this news wasn’t immediate, it had to have been laying the groundwork for a while, perhaps months. And then announcing you were interested in the Doctor Who job, why would you do that if you already going to be busy? Possibly Straczynski was confident he could handle both B5 and DW at the same time.
We also don’t know if the B5 reboot will have legs, so Straczynski taking over after RT Davies is also up in the air.
This is interesting news. Like others here I loved the original series and agree it didn’t attract the audience it deserved. Rather than a retelling I’d love to see an adaptation based on some of the wonderful races JMS created.
I’ll be watching this development eagerly.
I would be shocked if this could, “pull off a Nikita” and have the reboot match my love for the original, but, here’s hoping.🤞
Sounds good, the OG series was good..highly underrated as ST was winning more eyes but this series was worthy of a watch
I loved the original Babylon 5 series. It took a little bit into the first season to really get going, but when the story arc finally started hitting its beats it was great tv. Unfortunately the fifth season is a little iffy as they knew they had been cancelled and they started laying breadcrumbs for spin-offs that also got cancelled, but overall the series is very worth your while.
JMS has come out and said that it won’t be an exact retelling because there is no surprise, rather it will reboot like Westworld and Battlestar Galactica with a new twist on familiar stories.
Looking forward to this one.